6 Minutes Will Save Your Organization Thousands on the Cost of Toner
August 30th, 2021 by Kevin Box
When it comes to your printer fleet, having more visibility to performance is critical. Knowing how much volume each printer is producing is valuable. Getting automatic toner fulfillment is more productive and efficient than having an employee order toner reactively. So, why don't more organizations use a Data Collection Agent (DCA) to manage their printer fleet? I believe it is awareness; Many managers simply do not know it exists or its value.
A Data Collection Tool can give the device manager critical data to help better manage the fleet. Some of the things collected by a DCA are: Average Monthly Volumes, Meter Reads for each printer, Supply Levels, Total Cost of Ownership, and access to an Environmental Impact Report, which will give data on how each printer is impacting the environment. This blog posting will look at each and its importance to help your organization save $ 1,000's on managing its printer resources.
Why knowing the Average Monthly Volume for each printer is Important?
Each printer producers a certain number of prints per month, depending on the end-user and the department. Averaging the number of prints over a year can give valuable feedback on how much each printer costs per month. For example, let us say a mono printer is producing 1,000 prints per month on average. That figure can be calculated against the toner cartridge yield to determine how much the printer costs per month. At 1,000 images per month with a cartridge yield of 1,300 and a cost per cartridge of $75 per cartridge, each print cost per copy is $.075 per impression or 7.5 cents. These costs mean the printer is costing $75 per month. However, this figure seems somewhat benign when repeated throughout a printer fleet of, say, 100 printers. Operating these printers can get very expensive: $7,500 per month in this scenario.
Automatic Meter Reads Can Save Time and Money
For print managers, having the printer report meters automatically is a huge time saver. Reporting meter reads manually takes an incredible amount of time for the person managing the printer. Anyone who has ever received an email from the servicing company requesting the latest meter read knows how time-consuming this can be. Often, the manager must walk over to the printer, print off a current usage report, scan it back to their email, and finally send the usage report to the servicing company for meter billing. Once again, if you multiply this over an entire fleet - well, if time is money, this is not the best use of it.
Having a Data Collection Agent means meter reports are regularly sent to the servicing company, creating timely responses and accurate billing. It also allows you to deploy human capital in better and more efficient ways within the organization.
Another benefit of automatic meter reporting is that the device can report to the service provider on current toner capacity. This allows for auto toner replacement when toner gets low, which prompts the provider to automatically order a new set of toner(s) and ship directly to the location, saving time for the end-user. It also eliminates the need to store or purchase extra toner to have on hand and replaced and unused toner to go to waste.
Do You Know Your Total Cost of Ownership for Each Printer?
Another essential benefit of having a DCA is it will help determine what each device costs you to operate. Printers typically serve as an invisible cost to the organization. 10's of thousands of dollars are spent every year. The financial department has no real visual on printers' cost because it is typically a line item under office supplies or operating costs. Organizations can eliminate a vast unknown with a DCA monitoring each device.
A good DCA will provide print volumes, average monthly volumes, the total cost for each printer, and the fleet's total cost. It will also show useful data on peak usage times throughout the year or constant production. DCA will give data needed to help administrators redeploy specific devices or eliminate printers not being used.
What is the Environmental Impact for each Printer?
Lastly, a good DCA will allow you to print reports on each printer's impact on the environment. Good DCA is crucial for organizations with a 100 percent sustainability goal, looking to reduce their impact on the environment. The DCA can produce actionable data such as Paper Consumption, Supply Consumption, Power Usage, and a Cost Reduction Report to help you in "understanding your print environment to protect the environment."
The importance of understanding the environmental impact of your fleet can help your organization make better decisions on reducing its carbon footprint.
Paper Consumption
Paper consumption has a significant impact on the environment. The lifecycle green impact of paper includes trees, water, energy, transportation, and waste management. All play a role in the "paper trail" from production to disposal. Evaluating your print and document requirements to reduce unnecessary prints and paper consumption will have the most far-reaching impact on the environment.
Supply Consumption
Everyday consumables such as paper, ink, and toner cartridges require energy and resources for production and disposal. Utilizing higher yield print cartridge devices to reduce cartridge consumption will help eliminate waste landfill disposal issues in the environment. It will also save you time and money, a win-win for both the environment and your Income Statement.
Power Usage / Carbon Footprint
The power consumption and carbon footprint are calculated based on the total annual page print volume. Printing requires energy and emits carbon by-products. The age, efficiency, and technology of each printer can have a tremendous effect on its green footprint.
Cost Reduction
Power and paper are the two most significant cost reduction benefits to your organization. You can reduce costs by adopting a green approach to your print environment. Knowing the environmental impact can also help you make better decisions on using each printer and get buy-in from key stakeholders on either reducing the fleet or redeploying printers that are not used as much.
Figure 1 shows a sample Green Report.
Your Cost Reduction Awaits!
Organizations can reap huge savings using a Data Collection Agent, which is typically offered free by most service providers. The DCA can also help your service provider evaluate your printer fleet's current state and give you insight on how to make it more productive, efficient, and help optimize your floor plan, which helps maximize printer coverage. In short, a DCA is a must-have for any organization looking to reduce cost and be a better steward of the environment.
Posted in: Document Management